When the new-look Hampshire County Council meets for the first time after the May 7 election, a familiar face will be missing at the table.

A fresh-faced Barack Obama was settling in as president of the US when Andrew Joy became the HCC member for Alton Town in June 2009.

But with nearly 17 years behind him and the county facing the biggest shake-up in local government for decades, the Conservative has decided it’s time to draw a line.

“I’m 81 and we’re potentially talking about another five years if I stood for re-election,” said Cllr Joy.

“Yes, I’ve got a brain that would allow me to function at cabinet level but it needs continuation.

“I didn’t want to get to the point when people we’re saying ‘it’s maybe time to go’ so I wanted to make the decision myself. I definitely feel it’s the right time.”

You’ve got to head back to the mid-noughties to pinpoint the moment where he became a councillor.

And it wasn’t HCC, originally – it was East Hampshire District Council, and the Kings View development and its many variations, rejections and subsequent approval were the catalyst.

After accepting the challenge in 2007 he took over from the late Bob Chilton for Alton Ashdell, before making the move down the A31 to HCC.

He said: “I was asked two years after being elected onto EHDC if I would also stand for county and I said yes. I’ve been there ever since.”

It’s been a long journey and there was an inkling a couple of years ago that big changes lay ahead. But he thought it made “total sense” to stick around for the meantime, as he thought HCC could do with continuity and experience, rather than a raft of new faces at such a seismic point.

But that was before the throttle was well and truly pressed on devolution. The government’s decision to rip up boundaries, placing Alton and most of East Hampshire in a council that includes distant towns like New Milton and Andover, doesn’t sit well.

He said: “I think what the government has come up with, well, I strongly believe they’ve got it wrong.

“I’ve never fancied the unitary approach and I think the government we’ve had since 1974 has worked very well for the county as a whole.

“Yes, there might be some opportunities, but I actually think if it isn’t broke, then don’t fix it. East Hampshire District Council and HCC came up with a ‘least worst’ solution but that was kicked into the long grass.

“I just think it’s a such an ill thought-out thing.”

Gripes about devolution aside, Cllr Joy believes he has much to be proud of as the sun sets on his HCC career, with his spells in cabinet being among them.

He added: “I’m still the Armed Forces Champion and I was chairman of HCC in the Jubilee year, and that was a huge privilege. I’ve had an extraordinary run, and I’ve been so privileged and proud.”